Conventional piston aircraft engines include multiple cylinder assemblies used to drive a crankshaft. In order to drive the crankshaft, each cylinder assembly requires fuel, such as provided by a fuel pump. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a conventional aircraft engine 10 includes separate cylinder assemblies, collectively referred to as 12, and a fuel distribution assembly 14 that provides fuel to each cylinder assembly 12 from a fuel pump (not shown). As illustrated, the fuel distribution assembly 14 includes a hub 16, connector tubes 18, and fuel nozzles 20 where each connector tube 18 and fuel nozzle 20 connects the hub 16 to a corresponding cylinder assembly 12. As the hub 16 receives fuel from the fuel pump, the hub 16 distributes the fuel to each cylinder assembly 12 through the corresponding connector tube 18 and fuel nozzle 20.
During operation, a spark plug of each cylinder assembly 12 ignites the fuel received from the fuel distribution assembly 14 and causes reciprocation of a piston (not shown) contained within each cylinder assembly 12. As each piston reciprocates, each piston generates a force within the corresponding cylinder assembly 12 sufficient to cause relative motion of the cylinder assemblies 12. For example, as a piston within cylinder assembly 12-1 fires, the loads generated by the piston on the crankshaft causes the cylinder assembly 12-1 to generate a corresponding load on the crankcase 22. This load causes the crankcase 22 to bend or flex such that the operational cylinder assembly 12-1 moves relative to the then non-operational cylinder assemblies 12-2, 12-3.